Villages in Hungund
taluk, in the north Karnataka district of Bagalkot, are in a sorry state
following heavy rain in October.

People The Observer interviewed complained of spread of mosquito-borne diseases and inaction by the panchayats.

Mahantesh M.B., who
cultivates sugarcane and sunflower in Chittaragi village, said: “When it rains
heavily, the crops get damaged. My sugarcane cultivation has suffered more than
75% damage. A sugarcane factory is located 25 km from here. One tonne fetches
me around Rs 2,200.”

M.D. Vaidya another
resident, said: “Panchayat officials come to visit the affected areas once or
twice every week. The cement shop located next to my medical store has suffered
heavy damage. We’ve sent a letter to the local MLA informing him of the
situation, but have not got a positive reply.”

Seetimani village has poor
drainage and no assured drinking water supply. Its houses suffered heavy damage
because poor construction material was used. Residents said their cash crops
were destroyed. Three persons succumbed to malaria in a span of one week.

Ravi Janaki, a mason, said:
“I have lived in Seetimani for almost 32 years. The situation hasn’t improved
much. Every day, we are bitten by mosquitoes. It becomes impossible to sit more
than six hours.”

Vinayak Desai, another
farmer shared: “My field spans 20 acres. For an acre of sugarcane cultivation,
I earn around Rs 1 lakh. I applied to the revenue office for compensation a few
months ago. Revenue officials claim to have done the paper work, but I have not
received any payment.”

Vijay Gagan Dharmar, a
priest, complained: “A water filter was to be installed last year, but it’s
still not present. Our hopes are in ruin. Every week, the panchayat claims it
is sending its officials.”

Renuka Angadi, an
assistant engineer working at the Chittaragi Gram Panchayat, informed The Observer: “Farmers are supposed to
receive compensation from the state government; the panchayat has no role to
play. We have been working consistently to provide good roads, electricity and
water to the village.

“The village consists
of around 600 houses, almost 80% of which have suffered losses. The higher
authorities have only asked us to fetch the survey numbers and we have
adequately done it. The last submission was made around two months ago.”

Vaibhav Desai, a civil
engineer who works for the Jain Ramthal Project, said: “Our company has
installed a drip irrigation plant, which is extremely helpful for the villagers
as they can draw water from the pumphouse. This requires a lot of electricity.
We are asking for regular electricity supply from the state government.”

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